BudFest Eugene Offers Up Music, Merriment, and Marijuana

Kick off summer with a cannabis-centric gathering in bucolic Veneta.

These are crowded times for Oregon cannabis. Farmers are growing more than users can consume, Portland alone counts hundreds of dispensaries, and cannabis-infused events (from yoga and arts and crafts to aerobics and mani-pedis) fill the calendar.

BudFest Eugene wants to bring people together. This Saturday, June 22, the organization—for cannabis advocates, producers, and enthusiasts—hosts its second annual summer celebration in Veneta, about eight miles west of Eugene. It's a members-only affair, but $35 and an easy online form gets you yearlong membership and event entry.

At the center of BudFest is the King Canna Cup, a cannabis competition featuring products from across the state, Portland to Southern Oregon and beyond. Expect about 60 entries in various categories, including best indica flower, best terpene profile, and best infused pre-roll. (Category winners will vie for best in show, which comes with a trip for two to Hawaii.) Portland farm Meraki Gardens took home the top prize last year for its sativa-dominant MAC strain.

Also on deck: live music, talks from industry leaders and educators in an AC-equipped tent, and an array of vendors. (Per OLCC rules, no cannabis will be for sale, but attendees may bring their own for personal consumption.)

New to this year’s event is a camping option: $50 nets you a two-night stay at the adjacent "Camp Budfest" (Oregon Country Fair fans, this is what's usually known as “Quiet Camp”), which also includes a Friday-night barbecue party, exclusive late-night music on Saturday, and a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning.

“It’s a great way for everybody to get out together and celebrate the freedoms we feel so strongly are worth fighting for,” says festival co-producer James Book. Book says he expects around 800 attendees. It’s great if the event is a lure for more members of the community, Book says, but the cannabis industry cannot move forward without a message of responsible production and consumption. “For anybody who cares about the future cannabis legislature, freedom, culture and lifestyle," he says, "I can’t think of a better way to kick off the summer.”